


i will find my way if i can be strong

by domokunrainbowkinz



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Gen, Minor Violence, Origin Story, Personal Growth, written for the YOI superzine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 18:57:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20430839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/domokunrainbowkinz/pseuds/domokunrainbowkinz
Summary: The origin story of Lutz City's top superhero, Eros!Written for the YOI Superzine





	i will find my way if i can be strong

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for the YOI superzine, thank you so much to everyone who contributed and for the amazing mods!!! please check out everyone else's pieces, they're all fantastic w he w!!
> 
> anyways have some super strength yuuri,,my son, my Child whom i love very much,

Yuuri had always thought his name made him sound strong.

Not that he wasn’t strong. Just…not as strong as his name made him sound. He was quiet and cried easily, his entire body shaking each time he had to answer the teacher’s questions in class. Takeshi had always made fun of his chubby body and meek nature, calling him things like “fatso” and “piggy” only to be scolded by Yuuko afterwards.

So, no, he wasn’t a very strong person in that sense.

He’d always thought of himself as plain and ordinary, until he started to… notice things.

When they had to move tables, the teacher always told them to do it in groups of four, because they were too heavy. Yuuri could lift two tables easily, one on each hand.

Of course, he never showed anyone. He read enough manga and comics to know these abilities must be a secret, and on the news and in newspapers, superheroes always had masks on to hide their identity.

Not that…Yuuri wanted to be a hero. He would never be cut out for that.

One summer day though, Yuuko’s cat got stuck in a tree, with no way of coming down. Yuuri had thought to himself for a moment, then decided to act. Even though he promised himself not to use his powers in public, Yuuko’s cat was in trouble!

Before Takeshi could even protest, Yuuri wrapped his arms around the tree, and pulled as hard as he could. The tree was surprisingly lighter than he thought it would be, pulling out of the ground with ease. He lowered the top of the tree, letting the cat hop safely to the ground, where she walked over to a frozen Yuuko.

Her and Takeshi stared at Yuuri, wide-eyed with their jaws nearly splitting their faces into two.

“Yuuri…you…” Takeshi couldn’t even finish the sentence, rendered speechless by what he had just witnessed.

“Have you always been…this strong?” Yuuko asked quietly. Yuuri looked at the ground and nodded, feeling like he was about to cry.

_They’re probably mad I lied to them_, he thought to himself. _They think I’m a freak, they hate me now, they’re gonna stop playing with me _–

“THAT’S SO COOL!” Yuuko exclaimed, a bright smile filling her face. “You have _super strength _Yuuri! Just like a superhero!”

“Wish I had super strength…” Takeshi pouted. “How strong _are _you anyway? Can you lift that other tree? I think it looks too heavy for you.”

He pointed towards a taller, thicker tree a few metres away. Yuuri’s competitive streak got the better of him, and he glared at Takeshi before stalking away towards it, ripping the tree out of the ground with ease.

“_No way_,” Takeshi whispered, his eyes filled with jealous awe.

When the three arrived at the onsen, a single word had not left Yuuri’s mouth before his two friends immediately shouted their discovery at Yuuri’s parents.

“Guess what we found out today? Yuuri has _superpowers_!” Yuuko exclaimed excitedly.

“He’s gonna be a hero and his name is going to be ‘Power Puncher’,” Takeshi added.

“No, his name is going to be ‘Incredi-Man’.”

“That’s a _lame _name, ‘Power Puncher’ sounds cooler – “

“Oh, is that right?” Yuuri’s mother commented. She somehow didn’t look surprised at all, which served as a small shock to Yuuri.

“Sounds like you three had fun,” Yuuri’s father said. “But – make sure you don’t tell anyone! Heroes have to keep their identities secret, right?”

Their eyes widened, and they promised with conviction they’ll never tell a single soul. After they left, his father turned towards him.

Yuuri braced himself for a scolding, his hands gripping the hem of his shirt tightly.

“Yuuri, you’re not in trouble,” his father said gently. Yuuri looked up in surprise.

“We’ve always known you had powers,” his mother told him, which shocked Yuuri even more.

“Why do you look so surprised?” she continued with a laugh. “You’ve been helping me lift those heavy boxes into the onsen for years – I notice these things, Yuuri.”

“R-really?” he asked quietly.

“Really, Yuuri,” his father said. “You’re very strong – and helpful, and kind too! The deliverymen say so, and so do the shopkeepers!”

Yuuri looked down. It was true he did help them – it was as natural as breathing. If someone needed help, he would be there.

“You’re Hasetsu’s hero, Yuuri. Everyone here can always count on you,” his mother told him, and his eyes widened.

“Me…a hero?” he wondered, his voice shaking slightly. His parents nodded with smiles on their faces.

“Our hero,” his mother said. His heart was bursting, a flurry of emotions swirling inside, his body barely able to hold it all in.

_Maybe…I can be a hero_, he thought to himself.

* * *

Years later, as he stared at his empty university dorm, becoming a hero had become a half-forgotten dream.

He always helped the citizens of Hasetsu – and they all treated him like a hero – but as he grew older, he realized he could never match up to the other heroes he saw on newspapers.

_Zero-Gravity saves thousands from falling building. Visor defeats supervillain in thrilling battle, saving citizens of city. Yuuri helps Masaoka-san pack supplies, saves him 2 hours of his day._

Compared to what other heroes his age were doing, Yuuri was pretty pathetic.

He made the difficult decision to fly halfway across the world to Lutz City in Canada for university, away from his family and friends, away from his beloved poodle, Vicchan.

Away from the little town he called “home”, where everyone called him a “hero”. He ran away from it all.

It was there that he met his best friend and roommate, Phichit Chulanont, criminology major on the fast track to becoming a detective. They got along well – Phichit filled the silence with his chatter while Yuuri listened and Yuuri was the rational mind that stopped Phichit from tailing a detective on a heist because _are you out of your mind Phichit that’s illegal!_ Phichit seemed to know when Yuuri was upset, always giving a shoulder for Yuuri to lean on. They quickly became close, knowing each other inside out.

Except for the fact that Yuuri had super strength. He learned from Yuuko and Takeshi, the way they expected him to become some famous hero, that telling Phichit would only add to the burden. Yuuri knew he disappointed all of them by becoming a nobody.

One night, everything changed.

He was walking back from the grocery store when he heard a scuffle from a nearby alley. Peering in, he saw a person dressed in all black holding a woman at knifepoint.

“I want your purse and your jacket,” Yuuri heard the person demand. “I won’t hurt you, but if you _dare_ make a sound – “

Immediately, two options presented themselves in front of Yuuri:

Option one: he would sneak away and call the police, hoping help would arrive soon.

Option two –

“S-Stop!”

Yuuri stepped into the alley, pointing a finger at the mugger. Inside, he screamed at himself.

_What are you doing? You don’t even know self defense! He has a _knife!

Both the mugger and the woman stared at him, the woman with a wide-eyed confused expression, the mugger with a look of disgust. Honestly, Yuuri wasn’t surprised at all by this reaction; with his shaking body and cracking voice, he was practically _asking_ for death.

“And look who decided to join the party,” the mugger sneered, his knife still pointed at the woman. “What are you gonna do? Punch me?”

In fact, that was _exactly _what Yuuri planned on doing, so without even thinking, he quickly stepped forward and punched the mugger in the face.

Yuuri wasn’t sure how hard he punched, but he felt something break, which immediately worried him. The mugger fell onto the ground with a soft _thud_, and Yuuri felt his heart rate skyrocket.

“Oh God, I killed him. I killed him with one punch”, he screeched quietly to himself.

The woman stared at him wide eyed, then at the mugger. Slowly, she crouched down and felt his pulse.

“He’s alive,” she sighed. “He’s just knocked out.”

The wave of relief that washed over Yuuri was indescribable. He was so happy he could hug the woman, and he didn’t even _like _physical contact.

“U-um…” the woman mumbled. “I…I guess I’ll…call the police?”

“Huh? O-oh, yeah, good idea,” Yuuri stuttered. “And I should tie him up, just in case he wakes up.”

“O-okay…? We don’t have any rope though.”

_What the _hell_, Yuuri_, he thought to himself, cringing at what he just said. God, the woman must think he’s some idiot, or a lunatic –

“Thank you,” the woman whispered. “Who…who are you?”

“M-me? Uh, I’m a -”

_Hero_, he wanted to say. But he knew that was a lie.

Just as he was about to say, “a random student who was just passing by”, the woman said, “Oh, are you a new hero? I guess you wouldn’t have a hero name yet. Or a costume.”

She said it like it was obvious, looking Yuuri up and down with a scrutinous gaze. He shrugged, laughing nervously.

“Y-yeah…just starting out, right?”

The woman shot him a kind smile. She called the police, then they restrained the mugger with the woman’s scarf.

“You should get going,” she told Yuuri. “Don’t worry, I can tell the police it was a hero who defended me. Go on now, there are others who need help!”

Yuuri nodded mutely, then ran away, back to his dorm.

Once he was back, he flopped onto his bed. Suddenly, the full impact of what he had just done washed over him like a tsunami.

_I saved a woman from getting mugged. I knocked out a mugger with just one punch. There’s one person in this city now who thinks I’m some sort of hero. She’s going to tell the police a hero saved her. The police will expect a hero to be on night watch._

As far as Yuuri was concerned, Lutz City didn’t have any heroes…besides him, if that counted.

He groaned into his pillow, berating himself for the absolute _mess _he got himself in.

However, he couldn’t ignore the sliver of excitement he felt in his chest.

* * *

It was inevitable that Phichit would find out.

In true Phichit fashion, he went all in to help Yuuri with his new hero occupation: getting him registered, designing costumes, coming up with names, even trying to secure some endorsements from companies, because “How else are you going to pay the bills with that hero business?”

To be honest, Yuuri found it overwhelming. But more than anything, it felt _real_, like he was finally fulfilling some long-forgotten dream.

The realization didn’t fully hit him until he looked at himself in the mirror, costume fitted snugly against his body, a mask over the top half of his face.

“W-wow…” he breathed. The sheer black fabric shimmered under the light, contrasted with several gems that ran down his body, a half-skirt flaring out at his hips. Phichit slicked Yuuri’s hair back, then whistled.

“Looking good…looking sexy,” he snickered.

“P-Phichit…”

“Hey, I’m serious! Oh, wait, I figured out your hero name,” he gasped. “Eros!”

Yuuri was about to protest, but stopped himself when he took another look in the mirror.

Slicked hair, a mask that made his eyes look half-lidded, a skin-tight black costume that hugged all of his curves in the best way.

“Eros…that’s…actually not bad,” he mumbled, his cheeks flaming.

* * *

Word spread quickly of the new hero in town: an alluring, black silhouette against the night, taking down muggers with one punch, before disappearing like a mirage. _Eros_, he was called, the Greek god of sensual love and desire.

Yuuri was content with his new hero lifestyle. Sure, it wasn’t as exciting as the comics or manga, with big brawls and supervillains attacking every week, but Yuuri felt good, helping people.

Secretly, he hoped a supervillain would never show up. He knew that with his powers, he probably wouldn’t stand a chance.

* * *

The first thing Yuuri noticed was the giant cloud of smoke coming from the main bank.

He sprinted over, and saw broken rubble everywhere, panicked screams filling the air as explosions rumbled inside the building. He quickly changed into his costume and ran inside the building, where he could see fire and smoke from all corners.

“Ha! You fools could _never_ stop me! I, the great Spark, am _invincible_!” a voice cried from above. Looking up, Yuuri could see a man with a large sack over his shoulder, no doubt filled with cash. And he seemed to be…floating?

_Oh no_, Yuuri thought, _it’s a supervillain_.

Immediately, he could feel the panic settling deep into his gut. He knew he was no match for a supervillain with his mediocre power, that he may get seriously injured, that he may even –

He swallowed those thoughts, trying to keep his entire body from shaking. Yes, he may die, but he needed to protect these people.

Taking a deep breath, Yuuri took a couple steps back and started running towards the villain. He pushed his legs as hard as he could, and he _soared_.

Yuuri expected to make contact, but instead, he saw a flash, then felt himself being blown backward. He covered his face from the heat of the attack. Even though he braced himself for it, the painful impact of the ground meeting his body still shocked him to his core.

“You must be the hero of this city,” the villain sneered, lowering to the ground. Yuuri slowly got up, his head spinning from the collision, when he noticed the villain had smalls sparks emanating from his hands.

“Well, it was nice seeing you, but I must be on my way now,” the villain continued. “Although…it wouldn’t hurt to have some fun first.”

The villain pointed his palm at Yuuri, and that was all the warning he got before an explosion was directed at his face. Yuuri was able to dodge it, rolling to the side quickly. The villain sent blast after blast, bits of rubble flying all over the place as Yuuri kept dodging each attack, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

In his head, he tried to formulate a plan: what were the villain’s weaknesses? Openings? Where should Yuuri attack? Usually these were easy to find, but with the explosions happening left and right, it was difficult for Yuuri to think straight.

“Come on, stop running away!” the villains snarled, sending a larger explosion towards Yuuri. He managed to barely dodge it, the attack colliding with the wall of the bank, blasting a huge hole.

Before Yuuri could recover, the villain sent another explosion right in front of him, sending him flying backward. He landed painfully outside the bank, feeling the rough concrete scraping against his skin.

All around him, he could hear gasps and screams, sirens blaring, muffled voices. His ears were ringing, his world fading in and out of focus around him as he struggled to stand up. Suddenly, he felt himself get blasted back again, the impact knocking the breath out of him.

“Is this your hero!?” he heard the villain yell. “This pathetic, weak lump! How could you even call him your ‘hero’ if he’s this weak!?”

_Weak._

He was weak. Yuuri knew that, had always known, even when everyone around him called him strong. He knew he could never defeat this villain, their power levels simply too far apart, and he was only prolonging his inevitable loss.

“He ain’t weak!” Yuuri heard someone yell. “He’s the strongest man I’ve ever laid eyes on!”

“You’re the one who’s weak, using dirty tricks like that!”

“We believe in Eros, and we’re behind him till the end!”

Soon, more and more voices joined, all of them melding together in Yuuri’s mind. Strangely, he felt his eyes burn.

Yuuri stood up slowly, finally meeting the villain’s gaze. Small sparks flashed around his body, matching the wildness in his eyes.

“Oho…so you’re still alive,” he mused. “Good thing, I could show these poor citizens how they’re fools to ever believe in you.”

He raised his hand and –

_Now!_ Yuuri thought, charging forward with all his speed. He pulled back his arm and swung forward as hard as he can, feeling the heat of the explosion envelope him painfully. The villain had a look of surprised on his face when the smoke parted, caught so off guard that Yuuri’s fist went straight into his face.

Yuuri sent the villain soaring backward, his body bouncing painfully on the ground before coming to a stop. Everyone held their breath, waiting for him to get up, to send an attack, _anything._

…

The villain did not get up.

Yuuri couldn’t hear anything, only a loud, thudding sound that drowned out all the noise around him. After a while, he realized it was coming from himself.

He did it. He managed to take down a supervillain, and with just _one punch_.

What happened next was a blur to Yuuri. All he could remember was the cheers that surrounded him, the people that crowded around him with joy, the chanting of “Eros, Eros, Eros!” filling the air around him, mixed in with “Our hero!” and “The strongest man alive!”

Yuuri thought back to the little boy who used to gaze wide-eyed at the television, who thought he would never measure up to other heroes. The boy who only ever _dreamed_ of being a hero, of his awkward first missions and the wonder in the faces of those he saved.

He laughed and cheered with the others, smiled until his cheeks hurt, his heart bursting with happiness so intense, he started to cry.

_I’m a hero_.

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact the doc is named "STRONK BOI ORIGINS FINAL FORM" on my laptop and also before i could scramble for a name for our supervillain i named him "bakugou boy" bc he Explodey
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/domokunrainboz/)
> 
> [tumblr](http://domokunrainbowkinz.tumblr.com/)


End file.
